Can a picture paint a thousand words? Yes, definitely! Meet Kitty and I’m sure you will agree. Kitty was one of millions of victims of the horrendous puppy farm trade.

Isn’t it time we brought this awful trade to an end? Please join me in calling on David Cameron to introduce a law making it illegal to sell puppies online, through pet shops or without a licence. These are the main outlets for the trade and without them the market will diminish enormously. These farms force mothers to have litter after litter in appalling conditions for many years. If any of the mothers survive the exhausting existence of being caged for years in this endless cycle they find themselves thrown out like garbage, to wait out the end of their life - the luckier ones (very few) will go to a rescue centre and be adopted.

Unsold puppies face a similar fate. Blindness is common in these poor dogs through untreated eye conditions, as well as muscle wastage from being kept in cages without exercise. The puppies are taken from their mothers at too young an age, sold for huge profit and often have lifelong health and behavioural problems. Many puppies do not survive their first 6 months. All of this of course is common knowledge but so far this awful trade continues to thrive and expand. But if enough of us work together we can make this the biggest, loudest, and strongest petition yet.

A report recently published by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home shows that less than 12% of puppies born in Great Britain every year are bred by licensed breeders. This shows how organised these traders are and they will not stop unless we make them.

The report, released in 2015, stated:

• Less than 12% of puppies born in Great Britain every year are bred by licensed breeders, meaning 88% of puppies born in the UK are born to unlicensed breeders
• Over a third of Local Authorities do not have any licensed breeders
• 77% of Local Authorities did not issue any new licences to new breeders in 2014
• There is a huge discrepancy of up to 32 times in the charges for breeding licences, suggesting huge variations in the way breeders are inspected and approved to sell puppies
• The scarcity of breeding applications in some Council areas means that dog breeding premises are regulated by staff whose expertise may lie primarily in inspecting taxis, restaurants or other non-animal premises

The fact that this trade is flourishing and currently worth millions of pounds (almost all of it untaxed) makes it clear that local authorities either do not have the manpower, the funds, the expertise, or the will to stop it. It therefore falls to the Government to implement effective measures to end this cruel and lucrative trade.

Please sign this petition asking the government to implement new guidelines. Together we can make 2016 the year this horrendous trade finally ends.

The photograph of Kitty was provided by PuppyLoveCampaigns.org who work and campaign tirelessly to end this trade.